CONSTITUTION OF THE BOTSWANA CHESS FEDERATION

ARTICLE 1

NAME

  1. The name of the society shall be BOTSWANA CHESS FEDERATION (BCF) herein referred to as the “society” or the “federation”.
  2. The head office of the federation shall be in Gaborone, Botswana.
  3. The federation shall be affiliated to the Botswana National Sports Council whose headquarters is in Gaborone, Botswana.

The federation shall also be affiliated to the World Chess Federation, whose name is FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DES ECHECS (FIDE), the World Chess governing body.

ARTICLE 2

INTERPRETATION

The following words or phrases shall be interpreted as follows:

  1. The “society” or “federation” shall mean BOTSWANA CHESS FEDERATION.
  2. The “Executive Committee” shall mean the governing body of the federation appointed in terms of this constitution.
  3. Words signifying the singular number shall include the plural or vice versa and words signifying the masculine shall include the feminine unless they appear specifically otherwise from the context.
  4. “Country” shall mean the Republic of Botswana.
  5. “Members” shall mean fully (in respect of membership fee and annual subscription fee for the reference year) paid up members.
  6. “Committee” shall mean the Executive committee.
  7. “Elo” shall mean the international rating scale formulated by Prof. Arpad Elo.
  8. “Organised” shall mean cubs registered with Registrar of Societies.
  9. “Junior Payers” shall mean persons aged below 21 years.
  10. “Senior players” shall mean persons aged 21 years and above.

 

ARTICLE 3

OBJECTIVES

The following shall be the objectives of the federation:

  1. To advance chess and chess playing in the country as a whole. This shall be achieved by:
    1. Staging open (including non-members) and closed (strictly for members) chess tournaments.
    2. Inviting members to take part in individual and team tournaments.
    3. Inviting members to take part in international tournaments as either individuals or a team.

 

  1. To popularise the game of chess to every section of the country by holding:
    1. Chess clinics in schools and other public places.
    2. Chess simultaneous games display.
  1. To award various chess titles to members who obtain the required norms through over-the-board performance.
  2. To arrange for international tournaments under the auspices of FIDE.
  3. To arrange for seminars or discussions with interested bodies in the country as well as outside.
  4. To work hand-in-hand with other federations around the world with similar interests.
  5. To raise funds to enable achievement of the above objectives.

ARTICLE 4

MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership shall be strictly through organized clubs.
  2. There shall be three categories of members:
    1. Affiliate member.
    2. Associate member.
  3. To be a member, a club shall complete the application forms and hand them over to the general secretary for approval. Individuals and associate members shall pay participation fee equivalent to the affiliate member’s annual subscription fee.
  4. The Executive Committee shall approve membership as well as membership fee.
  5. Clubs shall pay membership fee, such membership fee shall be set by the  executive committee and shall be reviewed from time to time.
  6. Junior players of affiliated clubs shall pay half the fees paid by senior players of affiliated clubs..
  7. Subscription fees (or participation fees) shall fall due on the 1st January of each year and shall be demanded of each member within two months of that date. In the event of a club not paying the subscription within two months, itt ceases to be a member. Such a club shall have to reapply to become a member again. Players of non-affiliated clubs shall not take part in BCF events.
  8. Associate members shall not participate in the national league.

ARTICLE 5

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP/OFFICE

  1. Any member failing to pay subscription fees within two months of the due date shall cease to be a member.
  2. Any club whom the executive committee feel the behaviour of its members is detrimental to the interests of the federation shall have its membership terminated. Such a member shall take (if it desires) its case before the general meeting where a final decision shall be made.
  3. In the event of an office bearer’s  term of office terminated the executive committee shall co-opt any person to act until elections are conducted. The executive committee shall ensure a smooth handing over in such a case.

ARTICLE 6

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  1. The executive committee shall be responsible for the control of finance, property, discipline, general administration and settlements of disputes.
  2. The committee shall be composed of:
    1. The President
    2. The Vice President
    3. The General Secretary
    4. The Treasurer
    5. The Tournament Director
    6. Two ordinary members of whom, one shall be nominated by the executive committee to act as the assistant secretary.
  3. The committee shall have the power to manage all the affairs of the federation, but shall not be entitled to expend on any one occasion more than an amount fixed by the annual general meeting, without prior sanction of the members.
  4. The committee shall, with sanction of the general meeting of members, have the power to borrow money on behalf of the federation and hence it (committee) is hereby indemnified against all liabilities in this regard.
  5. The committee shall have the power to frame bye-laws provided the latter are consistent with the constitution, subject to the condition that such bye-laws shall only have force until the time of the next general meeting which shall confirm or reject them.
  6. The committee shall have the power to appoint subcommittees to perform any special work in connection with the federation, and shall from time to time appoint one or two members to assist any official(s) as necessary.
  7. The committee may, under special circumstances, waive membership fees and annual subscription fees.
  8. The committee shall be given the power to co-opt.
  9. The committee shall implement decisions of the general meeting.
  10. Any player elected into the federation executive shall cease to play chess  actively in order to become fully involved with chess administration.
  11. No office bearer shall hold two (2) executive posts at a time, one at federation level and the other at club level, one of the positions shall be relinquished.

Under the auspices of the federation executive committee there shall be a semi-autonomous Botswana National Chess League Committee headed by a member of the executive committee whose purpose shall be:

    1. To coordinate and run the national league.
    2. Source funding and sponsorship for the national league under the auspices of the federation.

ARTICLE 7

SPECIAL DUTIES OF OFFICE BEARERS

  1. The President:
    1. Shall preside at all meetings.
    2. Shall be the spokesperson of the federation.
    3. Shall be responsible for the general running of the federation.
  1. The Vice President:  (Administration)
    1. Shall assist the President.
    2. Shall assume the duties of the President during his absence.
    3. Shall supervise any federation employees.
    4. Shall perform general administration tasks of the federation.
  1. The General Secretary:
    1. Shall be responsible for all correspondence of the federation.
    2. Shall keep up-to-date records of the federation.
    3. Shall take minutes at all meetings.
    4. Shall issue proper notice of all meetings including the agenda to all members or those concerned.
  1. The Treasurer:
    1. Shall keep all financial records of the federation.
    2.  Shall make financial records available to a committee member upon demand.
    3. Shall present an audited financial statement at the Annual General Meeting.
    4. Shall receive money on behalf of the federation and make payments as directed by the committee.
    5. All funds accruing to the federation shall be kept in an account to be opened with one of the commercial banks and the Treasurer’s signature shall be mandatory in all withdrawals, countersigned by the President or the General Secretary. The financial year of the federation shall start on 1 January and end on 31st December.
  1. Vice President (Technical)
    1. Shall assist the President.
    2. Shall be responsible for running  tournaments organized by the federation.
    3. Shall be responsible for up dating ratings.
    4. Shall be responsible for all technical issues pertaining to the game of chess
    5. Shall be the chairperson of the Botswana Chess League

ARTICLE 8

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  1. The committee shall hold a meeting at least once in every three (3) months to review the activities of the federation on a regular basis.
  2. Not withstanding the provision of (a) above, the committee may hold emergency meetings as often as dictated by circumstances.
  3. The General Secretary shall give notice of statutory meetings in writing, not less than seven (7) days before the meeting is held. Such notices shall include the agenda.
  4. Any committee member who absent himself, without valid reasons, for three consecutive meetings and/or tournaments without sufficient reasons to the satisfaction of the committee shall be deemed to have resigned and hence a new member shall be elected/co-opted.

ARTICLE 9

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. The committee shall be responsible, through the General Secretary, for calling the Annual General Meeting of members by giving at least one month’s notice.
  2. The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than April of the year.
  3. Attendance at the Annual General Meeting is restricted to members only, except at the invitation of the committee.
  4. Affiliates shall be represented, at the meeting, by at most two members, preferably, the President/Chairperson and the Secretary.
  5. The purpose of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
    1. To confirm minutes of the last Annual General meeting.
    2. To receive the Treasurer’s audited financial report.
    3. To receive the President’s report.
    4. To elect a new committee for the next two years.
    5. To discuss any other business for which due action is given.

ARTICLE 10

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

  1. A Special General Meeting shall be convened when there is an urgent issue at hand.
  2. The committee shall call a special General Meeting if an urgent issue needs sanction of the members.
  3. Two thirds (2/3) of the federation members may petition the committee to hold a Special General Meeting to resolve or discuss issues of general importance. In the event of the committee failing to meet the demands of the petitioners, the petitioners shall delegate any member to make arrangements for the meeting. If the President fails to chair the meeting, a chairperson shall be nominated at the meeting.

ARTICLE 11

ELECTION AND VOTING

  1. A list of all members entitled to vote shall be compiled by the General Secretary and shall be available at all meetings. Unless successfully challenged at the meeting, such a list shall be considered correct.
  2. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
  3. Affiliated clubs shall have one vote while associate members shall have no voting right.
  4. The President, at every meeting shall, in case of equality of votes, have the casting vote in addition to his ordinary vote.
  5. Office bearers shall be elected by members in the General body meeting for a period of four (4) years.
  6. In the event the meeting not being convened within the first three months of the year, any member could initiate a special general meeting through the Botswana National Sports Council.

ARTICLE 12

CO-OPTION

The committee shall have the power to co-opt other persons to serve on the committee in the event of an office bearer(s) ceasing to be a committee member. Such a member shall serve on the committee until the next election.

ARTICLE 13

QUORUM

  1. The quorum for all meetings shall be 50 percent of the committee members.
  2. The quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be 50 percent of the fully paid up members.
  3. Four members of the Executive Committee must be present at all the general meetings, except in the case of an emergency.

ARTICLE 14

ADJOURNMENT

Postponement of meetings shall only take place when there is either a shortage of time or a general consent that it should be done. Meetings shall be adjourned to times agreed by members or, alternatively, to times fixed by the committee in which case the General Secretary shall give notice of an adjourned meeting.

ARTICLE 15

NO CONFIDENCE

  1. At least 51 percent of the members may pass a vote of no confidence on the committee or any office bearer who proves inefficient.
  2. In the event of a vote of no confidence being passed on the committee, all office bearers shall vacate their posts. Election of a new committee will follow immediately.
  3. In the event of a special bearer being voted off, election for that post shall be held immediately.

ARTICLE 16

CODE OF ETHICS AND DISCPLINE

The game and the concept of chess is based on the assumption that everyone involved or concerned observe existing rules and regulations and attaches the greatest importance to fair play and good sportsmanship.

Breach of ethics

The following shall be considered breach of code of ethics:
  1. A person or club or organization which directly or indirectly offers or attempt to offer or accepts consideration or bribe with a view of influencing the result in a game, election into federation executive committee or tender bids.
  2. Fraudulence in the administration of the federation or supply of incorrect information to obtain unwarranted gains or advantages or absconding with federation’s funds.
  3. Organizers, tournament directors, arbiters or office bearers who fail to perform their functions in an impartial and responsible manner.
  4. Failure to comply with the normally accepted standards of courtesy and chess etiquette. Misbehaviour of a personal nature, which is generally not acceptable by normal social standards.
  5. Gross, continuous or repeated violation of the federation’s rules and regulations of chess, violence and disruption of the federation’s events, meetings or functions.
  6. Withdrawal of players from a tournament without a valid reason or without the tournament director’s permission.
  7. Unjustified accusations of the players, officials or sponsors by any member or player. All protests must be channelled through appropriate offices in writing.
  8. Misrepresentation of the federation or creating a bad image of it particularly at national and international scene.
  9. Possession of federation property without authority or destroying the federation’s property through negligence.
  10. Failure a club to honour events or league fixtures without informing the federation or concerned federation sub-committee in writing five (5) days before the day of the event.
  11. Passing remarks or commenting or discussion of games in progress during tournaments.
  12. Doping shall be regarded as a serious offence whose penalty would be in line with IOC guidelines on doping.

Appropriate disciplinary action shall be taken against all the offenders. In matters involving fraud the federation shall seek legal advice. Depending on the nature of the offence committed the following actions may be taken:

    1. A fine whose amount would be determined by the gravity of the offence.
    2. Verbal and written warnings
    3. Suspension from the federation activities for a period of up to 3 years.
    4. Expulsion from the federation depending on the magnitude or gravity of the offence.
    5. Forfeiting of a game or match.

ARTICLE 17

SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES AND APPEALS

  1. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for settlement of any disputes.
  2. In the event the Executive Committee failing to settle a dispute, a Special General Meeting shall be called for the purpose.
  3. Any member who wants to appeal against the decision of the committee shall do so at a Special General Meeting.

ARTICLE 18

PLAYERS ADVISORY COUNCIL

The shall be a players advisory council whose purpose shall be:

  1. Advise the chess federation on issues pertaining to players.
  1. In the event when there is an issue that needs to be addressed, the players advisory council shall raise such through the federation secretary, who shall include it as an agenda item in the next executive committee meeting. Two players  advisory council members  shall represent the council, in the event they have raised an issue with the federation.

ARTICLE 19

TRUSTEES

The President shall be entrusted with the duty of keeping all the federation property.

ARTICLE 20

DISSOLUTION AND DISPOSAL OF ASSETS

  1. The federation may be dissolved by a Special General Meeting called for that purpose by ¾ majority vote of members present.
  2. In the event of the federation being dissolved, the assets shall, after all liabilities have been met, and all obligations discharged, be donated to either a society with similar aims and objectives or to a recognised charitable organization.
  3. Under no circumstances shall the assets or any portion thereof be divided among members or office bearers of the federation.
  4. Under no circumstances shall the assets, despite the provision of the above clause, be paid to anybody or society which does not incorporate similar safeguard against distribution of assets in its own constitution.
  5. The committee shall ensure that before the federation is dissolved, all liabilities are settled

ARTICLE 21

AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION.

Any part of this constitution may be amended by the proposal made during a General Meeting as long as no legal ramification ensure thereby. Such amendment shall be subject to approval by the Registrar of Societies.

ARTICLE 22

LEGAL STATUS

The liability of the federation shall be limited by guarantee. Under no circumstances shall any office bearer be liable for the federation’s matters beyond his control.

ARTICLE 23

GENERAL BODY

All members of the federation shall constitute the General Body. In the event of the committee failing to resolve a problem, it must be brought before the General Body, which shall make the final decision. Such decisions shall be made on majority vote basis and shall be binding on all members. 

ARTICLE 24

REPEAL

The existing constitution of the federation is hereby repealed and this new constitution will be effective immediately on approval by the Registrar of Societies.

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